Another Frank Fragment--Part Three
by ucferrarisgirl
Summary: Frank wakes up in the hospital after Alex leaves


Frank (Another Frank Fragment, Part III)  
  
Gradually, Frank realized he was awake. He was aware he was in the hospital. His mind had a few cobwebs from the medication he'd been given to alleviated the pain.   
  
His mind began to click and turn as he became more fully awake. Memories of being in the ER seemed dim and distant, and he remembered that he had told the doctors to give the blood to the boy.   
  
The blood dilemma had not bothered Frank and he hadn't hesitated for a second when he'd realized there was a limited amount of O-type blood and two patients who desperately needed it. He'd sunk down into the blackness after telling the ER doctor to give the blood to the boy.   
  
And now he was in a dimly lit hospital room. He looked down at his left shoulder. The effort gave him some pain but he knew that under the fresh white bandages was a tiny entry and tiny exit wound.   
  
Frank knew the type of bullet well. The needle type of bullet was specially designed to leave as little damage as possible to the outside but damaged the insides quite well. The bullet was sensitive to body heat and exploded just before enterting the body. The bullet's fragments were slippery and hard to find by medical personnel.   
  
Frank's mind began clearing a bit more and he remembered that he'd been carrying several ice packs underneath his bullet proof vest. The needle bullet must not have fragmented in his body as a result of the cold ice packs he'd worn underneath his vest to keep himself cool. He'd have to thank Cody for suggesting the ice pack trick. It very well saved his life. Fragments from the needle bullets oftentimes were tiny and travelled through the veins in the body to lodge in the heart.  
  
The bullet must have ut a small artery in his shoulder, Frank now thought.   
  
"Welcome back to the world of the living, Frank Donovan," a male voice said, breaking Frank's rumination.   
  
"Aaack," was all Frank's dry throat could respond.   
  
"Just a little water," the doctor said as he held up a water glass filled one-third full. Frank sipped through the straw and swished the sweet cool liquid around in his mouth as the doctor said, "You were lucky, the bullet didn't fragment upon impact. It made a clear entry and exit and nicked an artery in your shoulder. We were able to repair the artery."   
  
Frank swallowed the water. "Didn't fragment?"  
  
"No fragments. Bloom said the bullet was found embedded in your car." At that remark, Frank grimaced. He'd just bought the BMW Z20. No worries, Frank would just have the car repaired.   
  
The doctor went on, "You did lose a lot of blood, three pints to be exact. AB negative blood is quite hard to come by but Bloom made a fuss and the blood bank in Lansing was able to send what was required.  
  
"The boy? He is okay?"   
  
"He'll survive, but he's paralyzed from the waist down as a result of the car accident. I'm surprised you remember that, Frank."  
  
"I remember everything," Frank said after he'd finished the glass of water. The doctor laughed heartily. Frank turned his head and was able to see the doctor's namebadge: Doctor Larosa.  
  
Frank made his next request crisply: "I want to see the boy."  
  
Doctor Larosa seemed surprised but nodded his head. "As soon as he gets out of the intensive care unit, you can see him." Noting the look on Frank's face meant that he was about to protest, Doctor Larosa added, "but I think we can make an exception in this case. You'll have to wait until tomorrow afternoon to see him, for he's still sedated."   
  
Frank nodded, then made his next request, "I want a mirror and I want to see my wounds." Doctor Larosa nodded again. "I'll get one of the desk nurses to lend me her mirror and I'll show you. The surgeon did a good job in stitching you up and you'll only have a very fine scar which will fade to a thin white line."   
  
Frank shot the man an annoyed look. He wasn't worried about the scar, he wanted to see his wound. Doctor Larosa went to get the nurse's mirror and Frank began pulling the bandage off himself. He grimaced because the nurse had taped the bandage over his shoulder and he couldn't reach his right arm over his left shoulder to get the tape off. Then he remembered that there was an exit wound somewhere on his left shoulderblade. He cursed the few cobwebs remaining.   
  
He did not like medication, especially medication which made his mind foggy. He had a low tolerance for mistakes, especially mistakes that he made himself.   
  
"If you let me do that, it won't be as painful," Doctor Larosa said as he walked up to Frank's hospital bed with a lighted make up mirror. He put the mirror on the bed. "Roll towards me," Frank complied and Doctor Larosa pulled the tape off Frank's shoulder blades. "Roll back," Frank did so with a small sigh he couldn't quite hide.   
  
  
Doctor Larosa lit up the mirror and held it up so Frank could see the wound. Frank inspected his wound. The doctor was right--it was a small entry wound and the surgeon's sharp scapel had left a thin red line crossed with fine black stitches. There would indeed be a thin scar.   
  
"The exit wound is small." Frank made this as a statement.   
  
"Yes, less than half the size of a dime. The bullet didn't chip any bones but went right under the shoulder bone, straight through the muscle. You'll recover but you will need to remain in the hospital for at least five days."  
  
"No," said Frank instantly. He would not remain in the hospital for that long. Three days was his max and he would push for it.   
  
Apparently, Doctor Larosa had discerned Frank's personality. "Four days," he offered.  
  
  
Frank shot him a look. "Three. I'll hire a home nurse to come in a few times a day to attend the wound."   
  
Doctor Larosa shot him a look back. "Desk work only. That is the only way I'll let you go in three days. If you agree to stay out of work for ten days, I'll agree to three days in the hospital."   
  
Frank considered. He'd beached himself for six months before taking on this assignment. Stress was the reason why. He enjoyed undercover work but those for whom he worked were detailing him and his team so that his job function was turning from cracking criminals and turning into hostage negotiations. A hostage negotiation was what had landed Frank in this hospital with his surprisingly small gunshot wound.   
  
"Ten days out of work," Frank agreed. He'd use the time to persuade Bloom to stop giving him hostage negotiation assignments, or at least stanch the flow of hostage negotations coming his way. Although negotation was a part of his job in cracking criminals, hostages weren't supposed to be a major part of this job.  
  
Doctor Larosa smiled. "Agreed." Then he laughed. "Bloom said you were a tough nut. Psychologist. I spent a year as a psych resident. Got scared when I watched the ER episode where Lucy Knight was knifed to death by a schizophrenic patient. I was glad I'd chosen to take on ER work."  
  
"You're young," Frank said as he craned his neck upwards and looked at Doctor Larosa in the face. Doctor Larosa just smiled.   
  
"The grey that you see is premature but I'm 33." The shadows of a smile curled Frank's lips. The sound of footsteps behind Doctor Larosa turned Frank's eyes away to the visitor. It was one of the nurses.   
  
"Good morning!" she said cheerfully. "I heard old grey hair was going to show you your wounds so I thought I'd change the bandage again," she said as she stopped the cart beside the bed, then went to wash her hands. "Can't be too safe with germs here. Wouldn't want that wound to get infected," she called over her shoulder.   
  
Hands washed, she came back and donned rubber gloves, then began preparing the bandages.   
  
"You get some rest after she changes the bandages. I'll see you tomorrow." Doctor Larosa made a note on his chart then went out of the room. The nurse leaned over Frank, and he could smell her perfume as she swabbed on antiseptic.  
  
"Roll towards me," she said softly, noting Frank's eyes were having trouble staying open. Frank complied and he felt the cool antiseptic gel go on the exit wound. The nurse swathed his shoulder in fresh bandages. "Roll back now," she said and Frank did what she wanted. He leaned back as the nurse finished attaching the bandages to his shoulder. His breathing evened out as his eyes fluttered a few times before coming to rest against each other as if they were a soft black line.   
  
The nurse adjusted the bedsheets, then softly went out of the room so as not to awaken Frank.   
  
In his sleep, Frank smiled. Another nurse who was passing by the door saw him smile.   
  
Frank opened his eyes and looked at the nurse. His smile widened as he saw daylight streaming into the hospital room. "I could use some breakfast," Frank said. 


End file.
